British School OF MARKETING INTERNATIONAL

Política de discapacidad

Introducción:

British School of Marketing International is committed to providing a safe environment where students are provided with all the support they require in order to complete their studies successfully. Every students’ personal and academic needs will be assessed as part of their application process to ensure he/she will receive the relative support accordingly. Therefore, it is very important for parents/students/sponsors to share all academic and personal learning needs as well as any disabilities to the college so that BSMI can make the necessary amendments prior to students’ arrival.

There are many kinds of disability, some more widely understood and visible than others. Some of the most common medical and psychological conditions are listed in this policy followed by the procedures. However, if the student has a medical condition, which is not part of the list below, sponsor/agent/parents must enclose this information on the enrolment form followed by a more detailed form to be completed. This is a mandatory requirement at the application process and any disclosure of such medical information will result in students being asked to leave the college with no fees refunded.

Disclosure of Medical Information:

There are enrolment forms available on the website both for adults and under 18 students which need to be completed as part of the application process. On the enrolment forms, there are sections referring to disabilities students may have. It is a mandatory field that agent/sponsor or parents must complete and give further details for any medical condition a student may have.

Once a medical condition is disclosed, it is then passed on to the relevant departments in order to make further adjustments to student’s course of study and welfare facilities at the college. Disclosure of such information is treated with the utmost sensitivity and confidentiality and will only share with the teachers of the students’ class and the welfare officer. Students with a medical condition will be easily identified on the system and the register of that class. Director of Studies will also inform other parties involved in the welfare of the student such as First Aid Providers and Fire Marshals.

The intent of the Policy:

The aim of this policy is to outline certain strategies and procedures when making alternative adjustments to the curriculum based on students’ needs.

BSMI has adopted the following procedures for some of the medical conditions listed below:

1) Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling. When a student is identified as having dyslexia, the Admissions person passes this information onto the Director of Studies or the Senior Teacher who then speaks to the teachers of the students informing them about their learning needs. The senior teacher at BSMI has CPD training in Dyslexia who also provides further training for other teachers at BSMI through INSET sessions.

2) EBD (Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties) refers to a condition in which students may display the following characteristic:

• Disruptive, anti-social and aggressive behaviour
• Poor peer, family relationships
• Hyperactivity, attention and concentration problems.

EBD generally occurs when individuals had a big change in their normal lifestyles. Adjusting to a new life in a foreign country may be the reason of occurrence as the student will need to adapt to being in a different country with new customs and cultures. This may lead to anxiety disorders where the individual may develop physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches or panic attacks. In these occurrences, the Welfare Officer will be able to support the individual and help them re-adjust to their new social surroundings through tutorials and further meetings with the student if required.

3) Diabetes can affect every individual differently. Details of a student with diabetes need to be provided by the agent/sponsor/parent before the arrival of a student at the college. It is crucial to obtain as much information as possible about the students’ diabetes so that BSMI can store and supply the right resources for any emergencies.

An emergency for an individual with diabetes requires immediate treatment and in most cases, this will be hypo or hyper.

• Hypo remedies – is generally treated with something sugary eat to drink or eat. There is a trained member of staff at BSMI who will be able to treat a student with hypo diabetes immediately. Delaying of this treatment will make the blood sugars lower, which can lead to hospitalisation.
• Hyper remedies – does not develop as quickly as hypo if an individual takes insulin by injection. Those individuals with high blood sugar levels must be allowed to drink and go to the toilet whenever they need to. A trained member of BSMI staff in diabetes will be able to assist those students with their needs. However, the college needs to know if the student has an insulin pen as well as spares in case of any damaged pens. BSMI also needs to be informed if the student can administer his/her own injection, as the student may need to apply the insulin outside the class hours.
• Diabetic Ketoacidosis –is caused by consistently high blood glucose levels, which need to be checked regularly. Ketones can be detected by a simple urine or blood test, using ketone strips. BSMI needs to be made aware of a student with such a condition and if the student has ketone strips (either blood or urine).
• Blood glucose meter and strips-is used to check the blood sugar levels. It is essential to check blood sugar levels for individuals who are on medication. If the students are on any kind of diabetes medication, BSMI also needs to know if they have glucose meter and strips or any spares in case of any breakage.

It is crucial that BSMI is provided with the students’ diabetic medical condition in detail so that the related member of staff including the Director of Studies and the teachers can be informed accordingly. BSMI uses a different colour within the registration form and ID lanyard so that those students can be easily identified by their teachers and treated immediately in case of any emergencies. Teachers are reminded of the sensitivity matter in order not to make a big issue of this in front of other students. A trained member of BSMI staff is available to provide further training on diabetes for teachers.

4) Hard of hearing – BSMI hasn’t received any students with hearing impairment until now. However, in case of any course enquiries made in the future for a student with hearing impairment, BSMI will carry out a formal risk assessment to decide if the students’ needs can be facilitated at the college.

BSMI will take into account the severity of hearing impairment before making a decision. For example, if the student has a mild hearing loss, placing the student at the front of a class next to the teacher may suffice. In such cases, teachers will be reminded to check with the student of their hearing and use the whiteboard often to ensure the students’ needs are facilitated.

BSMI does not have the facilities to accommodate students with severe hearing loss. Although a formal risk assessment would still be carried out to ascertain if further facilities could be provided, it is highly crucial for parents/sponsors/agents to inform BSMI of such a medical condition in advance.

5) Physical Disabilities and Wheelchair users – BSMI is a two-storey Victorian building, which currently does not have sufficient facilities for people who are wheelchair bound. As an addition to the existing two floors, BSMI will add another floor to be used in daily educational operations. The third floor will consist of a further three classrooms and toilets. In order to comply with the Disability and Equality Act 2010, the college will fully inform the potential students/staff of the existing building structure to see if their medical condition may allow them to use the stairs on a daily basis. A student/staff with minor walking conditions may be recruited following the formal risk assessment making them aware of all the risks and solutions. Based on the outcomes of risk assessments, BSMI will make reasonable adjustments to accommodate those students/staff on the second floor instead of the third floor. Fire evacuation procedure for the event of a fire will be a part of the risk assessment process.

6) Blind/ Partially Sighted students – BSMI will initiate an open dialogue with a student with such a medical condition where all the facilities at BSMI will be communicated to the student prior to the arrival for him/her to decide if BSMI would be appropriate for them to study depending on the severity of the blindness.

7) Expectant Mothers – Although BSMI has never had an occasion where a pregnant student or staff was recruited, we do welcome students and staff who are pregnant. In such a circumstance, BSMI would encourage an open dialogue between a candidate and the Director of Studies and a risk assessment form would be completed a part of safer recruitment practices for both students and staff. This code of conduct would take place to protect the rights of a pregnant employee/student and risk assessment would be carried out to identify risk to protect the mother and the unborn baby.

8) Teachers – For teachers applying to work for BSMI, it is essential for them to provide BSMI with relevant qualifications, two references from previous employers, a copy of their passport, driving licence, and a DBS declaration form. During the first interview, candidates will also be asked relevant questions depending on the job applied for as well as immigration status and their availability for start dates. The second interview will comprise further scenario-based questions related to the job applied for. Complying with the Equality Act (2010) BSMI will not ask questions related to any disability or illness during the interview stage. Once a new staff member has been appointed to a job role, BSMI will also ask the member of staff to complete a staff member’s details form. On this form, there is an opportunity for any member of staff to fill out any relevant medical conditions. If significant information is disclosed (such as pregnancy or using crutches), the Director of Studies will arrange the formal risk assessments to be carried out accordingly encouraging an open dialogue between the provider and the new employee about their disclosure.

There are limitations to the services BSMI can provide for students / teachers with disabilities. However, BSMI will always carry out the following procedures to comply with the Equality Act 2010.

• Each student’s case will be assessed individually
• Each case will be handled with the utmost sensitivity and confidentiality
• Open dialogue will be encouraged between the provider and staff/student
• Formal risk assessments will be carried out as part of a disabled person application process
• BSMI staff will together make reasonable adjustments and provide solutions